but if we're serious about reducing our deficit, we've also got to be serious about investing in the thiges that help us grow and make the middle class strong. >> as for speaker boehner, he continued his political posturing today with a statement. quote, the republican offer made last week remains the republican offer, and we continue to wait for the president to identify the spending cuts he's willing to make as part of the balanced approach he promised the american people. that said, an increasingly limber group of republicans are showing flekx 5eb89 on higher rates for top earners arguing raising rates on the rich will give them greater leverage on spending cuts. >> a lot of people are putting forth a theory and i actually think it has merit where you go ahead and give the president the 2% increase that he's talking about, the rate increase on the top 2%. and all of a sudden the shift goes back to entitlements. >> will i accept a tax increase as a part of a deal to actually solve our problems? yes. >> i don't know. perhaps democrats have been giving republicans yoga gift cards for